Category: Sauces and pastes

I love going out for a curry just as much as the next person, but when you’re trying to watch your portions and eat healthily, cooking them at home can be just as quick and easy to do – and saves on the pennies too!

It’s so quick and simple in fact, that I thought I’d share with you all my go-to homemade curry that you can chuck in the pan and job’s a good’un. It’s got great natural protein and can be tailored to your own individual preference by adding potato chunks, butternut squash and any vegetables you like.

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped

1 large tin chickpeas

2 packets king prawns/1 packet shrimp

red lentils, as many as you like

desiccated coconut (as much as you like)

1 tin coconut milk*

2-3tsp mild or medium curry powder

coriander (can be fresh or dried)

2-3 cloves of garlic (to taste)

grated or ground ginger, to taste

2 sliced peppers

olive oil

chilli flakes (optional)

Method:

Chop/prepare all the ingredients. Then fry the onions & peppers in a pan with some olive oil until the onions start to brown

Add the garlic and the curry powder, mix with the oil (adding a bit more if necessary) to form a sort of paste, let it all fry for another few mins

Add the coconut milk*, chickpeas, lentils and any additional spices and stir in, reducing the heat and simmering – should be a light to medium brown colour

Keep stirring and add in the coconut, coriander (a chopped handful if fresh, a large sprinkle if dried) and any salt and pepper and keep seasoning to taste

In the last few minutes, add in the prawns (and the chilli flakes if you fancy) and mix altogether

Serve with basmati or brown rice and enjoy!

*coconut milk can also be substituted with normal milk and some curry paste, just omit the curry powder if doing so [some may prefer this to avoid the xantham gum found in tinned coconut milk]

This is one of my favourite go-to recipes when cooking for friends as it’s so easily adaptable, however it’s also perfect if you fancy a treat meal without having to compromise your diet or break the bank! If you give this a try or make some variations for yourself I’d love for you to let me know by tagging the @charlieschapter instagram in your post or dropping me a message! Hope you enjoy 🙂

Pesto is such a simple, understated but amazing addition to a meal, in my opinion. Originating from Ligura, Italy, it became a culinary staple in the 1800s with each family tending to have their own variation; hence there are now so many different recipes around today.

I started making it myself from scratch during my final year of university, when one day I fancied trying something new in the kitchen, looked at the label of a pesto jar and thought “bet I could make this better and healthier myself…”

My recipe uses mostly cashew nuts rather than the traditional pine nuts because I’ve found it gives a smoother texture and fuller flavour. I also often like to add in extra flavours such as oven-roasted peppers or caramelised red onion, the latter of which gives it a much sweeter flavour and goes well simply on its own with pasta and a bit of feta.

Anyway, here’s my recipe for homemade red pesto for you to try at home:

I recommend using a food processor for this recipe, but if you don’t have one it can also be done in a large mixing bowl with a hand blender (it’s just a bit messier!):

Put the nuts into your food processor/chopper and whizz until finely chopped

Alternatively, you could crush them in a pestle & mortar or whack in a bag with a rolling pin biscuit style.

Add the sundried tomatoes and a glug of oil and mix until chopped into small chunks.

Add the garlic (crushed/finely chopped), parmesan, salt + pepper to taste and a few sprinkles of lemon juice. Then mix up again until combined.

Then tear up the basil roughly and throw into the mix, include the stalks where possible as these contain loads of flavour! Whizz it up once more, adding more oil if needed to bind it all together and create a smoother consistency.

Take a small spoonful and review your flavour balances, adding more seasoning (or parmesan/lemon juice/garlic) if needed to suit your own taste.

Once you’re happy with it, transfer to a glass jar or tupperware with airtight locking and enjoy!

Please note: it won’t be as smooth as the stuff you buy in jars, chunky and funky is this pesto’s style. It will last a week or so in the fridge in an airtight container or it can be frozen on the day and saved for later.

I personally love this recipe because it’s so versatile and so simple! Traditionally it’s perfect with pasta, especially with stuffed tortellini, but you can also try it layered on-top of salmon and baked in foil, or as a really tasty pizza base and layer it up with veg and cheese. Whatever you’re into, there are plenty of ways to bring this into your favourite dishes – get creative!

Here’s my go-to: pesto with wholewheat pasta, prawns and salmon (I bake the salmon in foil in the oven then flake into the pasta and mix altogether at the end).

I hope you enjoy; let me know what you come up with if you give it a go!